What the Blue Spider Lily actually looked like, or where it bloomed, remained a mystery.
Perhaps the doctor who had once treated Muzan Kibutsuji knew, but unfortunately, he had been murdered by Muzan himself a thousand years ago. This had become one of Muzan's greatest regrets.
Just as dawn broke, with the first faint light appearing in the sky, Kanao groggily opened her eyes.
"Mm…"
Curled up in her warm little nest of blankets, the girl wriggled slightly while hugging the thick clothes wrapped around her.
"Uncle... I don't want to get up yet."
She turned her head and looked at the demon sitting beside the campfire.
"It's still early. Go back to sleep."
Soma glanced toward the cave entrance.
Outside, dawn had only just begun. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, and a thin layer of mist still drifted through the forest.
For a human, the day had only just begun.
Kanao buried her little head into the pile of clothes again, then poked it back out a moment later before tossing the covers aside.
She knew that no matter how long she slept, her uncle would never scold her. In fact, he would probably encourage it.
And truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to stay curled up in the warm nest.
But compared to that…
Helping him find the Blue Spider Lily was far more important.
"I'm going to look for the Spider Lily for you, Uncle."
The girl walked over to the fire and spoke to the demon sitting there.
Soma lifted his head. His crimson eyes rested on her for a moment before he gently patted her head and handed her a bowl of freshly made porridge.
Kanao took it with both hands and began eating quietly in small bites.
Then—
A peeled egg suddenly appeared in front of her.
She looked up to see the demon's red eyes staring back at her. He was holding out the egg, a faint, gentle smile on his face.
Kanao blinked her pink-violet eyes.
"Eat up. Two eggs every morning, so you'll grow up tall and strong." Soma said it simply.
Kanao took the egg and took a small bite. Then she lowered her head again and continued sipping her hot porridge.
Warm porridge. A fragrant egg. As she ate, little by little, a gentle warmth began to flow through her heart.
When she finished, Kanao set the bowl down and patted her little belly in satisfaction.
"I'm so full!"
Soma glanced over at her.
The girl looked up at him at that exact moment and gave him a bright, slightly silly grin.
Seeing that expression made him chuckle.
He reached over to straighten her clothes, wrapping bandages around her ankles and tying up her messy hair.
He wasn't sure if it was just an illusion, but Kanao seemed to have grown a bit taller. He placed a hand on her head and measured it against his own body, only to find she hadn't actually grown—which made sense; no matter how well a child developed, they wouldn't shoot up that fast in such a short time.
However, looking at her more closely, the once scrawny, frail little girl had changed.
These days she ate well and no longer suffered beatings or scoldings. Though their journey had been rough at times, she had always been protected.
Her cheeks now carried a healthy color, and her once-thin frame had filled out slightly.
That was probably why she seemed taller.
Soma smiled.
Seeing how well the girl was growing under his care filled him with a strange sense of accomplishment.
It felt very much like he was raising someone precious.
"Uncle, I'm going out to find the Spider Lily for you."
"It's still early."
"It's not too early. I want to find it as soon as possible."
Kanao clenched her small fists.
Her face was full of determination.
Looking at the excitement shining in her eyes, Soma couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Instead, he crouched down and carefully straightened her clothes again.
"If you run into danger, come straight back," he said seriously. "Don't go near steep cliffs. Don't play in the streams. And don't—"
He kept listing instructions one after another, sounding more and more like an overprotective parent.
Before he realized it, Soma had been lecturing for nearly half an hour.
When he finally caught himself, he couldn't help but chuckle helplessly. Looking down at Kanao—who had listened patiently the entire time without the slightest hint of annoyance—he reached out and patted the girl on the head.
"Alright, go on."
"Mm."
Kanao Tsuyuri nodded obediently. Carrying the small basket her uncle had prepared for her, she stepped happily out of the cave.
The gentle morning sunlight spilled across the mountains.
Standing in the warm light, she turned back and looked toward the dark cave entrance—where a pair of crimson eyes watched from the shadows.
"Uncle, I'm going to look for flowers now!"
She waved to him, then slung the basket over her arm and headed down the mountain path.
The road through the mountains was far from easy to walk. Heavy morning dew soaked the grass, and before long her clothes were damp, clinging lightly to her body.
Kanao didn't know what the Blue Spider Lily looked like.
All she knew was that it was a flower that bloomed during the daytime.
If I find the Spider Lily for Uncle… he'll definitely be happy.
She leaned over to pluck a flower, the corners of her mouth curling into a small smile. She would definitely help him find it.
"Sob... sob..."
A low sound of crying reached Kanao's ears.
She blinked in surprise. Still holding the flowers she had gathered, she casually walked forward, hopped onto a small grave mound, and looked toward where the sound was coming from.
Not far away, in front of a grave, a girl wearing a pink kimono sat kneeling before a tombstone. Her long, gentle hair fell over her shoulders as she murmured something softly to the grave.
Every now and then, quiet sobs escaped her lips.
Kanao scratched her head, wondering why the girl was crying.
As if sensing someone nearby, the girl in the pink kimono suddenly looked up.
Her eyes immediately landed on Kanao—standing right on top of the grave mound.
The girl's beautiful face froze in shock. Tear marks still streaked her cheeks, but she didn't even bother wiping them away. She pointed at Kanao with trembling fingers.
"You... you... you can't stand on top of a grave!"
Kanao blinked her pink-violet eyes.
She looked down at the tombstone beneath her feet, then looked back at the girl, confusion written all over her face.
I'm not allowed to standhere?
"Please, come down quickly! You shouldn't stand there!"
Nezuko Kamado puffed out her cheeks. Her small face flushed slightly with anger.
These graves belonged to the ancestors of the Kamado family. Seeing some random girl standing right on top of them made her furious.
Kanao hesitated for a moment before jumping down from the grave.
Nezuko hurried over, clearly upset.
"How could you stand on someone's grave like that? Didn't your father and mother ever teach you that stepping on a grave is disrespectful to the dead? It's incredibly rude, a terrible thing to do..."
Kanao blinked again, then tilted her head while glancing back at the tombstone she had stepped on earlier.
Nezuko walked over to the grave and respectfully knelt down, bowing deeply toward it. Then she puffed her cheeks again and looked at Kanao.
"Come apologize too! If the ancestors get angry, that would be terrible."
Kanao just blinked.
Nezuko knelt there in front of the stone Kanao had stepped on and whispered, "Please forgive her for her unintentional offense…"
As she apologized to the person buried there, she turned to Kanao again.
"Didn't your father or mother ever tell you about these things?"
Even now, the girl seemed completely indifferent. Didn't she realize how disrespectful that behavior was? Had her parents never educated her?
"My father and mother died a long time ago."
Kanao tilted her head while looking at Nezuko.
She genuinely didn't understand.
Why would her parents tell her something like that?
Nezuko fell silent.
Just moments ago she had been angry, ready to scold the girl harshly.
But now…
Her chest suddenly felt tight, and a deep sense of guilt rose inside her.
Had I... been too harsh?.